The use of animal cage is well known in the prior art. Many conventional cages have been developed over the years for housing animals of different sizes, and through the development of these cages flexibility and portability have become points of emphasis. Some conventional cages, for example, have been designed to collapse to a compact position for portability. Others have been designed of light weight and from durable materials. Conventional cages have been designed for ease of transporting an animal. Some conventional cages are designed as exercise pens that provide an interior space that the animal can move about, particularly outdoors.
Most conventional cages include at least one door for providing access to the interior of the cage. An animal can enter or exit the cage through the opening when the door is opened, and the animal can be safely contained in the cage when the door is closed. Many conventional cages include a door that is attached to the cage via a hinge. This allows the door to be swung open and to be closed. A variety of latches have been incorporated into the design of the door to allow a user to open or securely lock the door.
Many of these conventional designs have limitations, however. With regards to an exercise pen, for example, the door is generally formed by an entire height and width of a panel or side member of the pen. Many of these doors are not able to be securely latched or may not prevent an animal from escaping therefrom. In addition, due to the size of the door, it can be difficult for an owner to reach into the interior of the exercise pen and retrieve a desired animal when two or more animals are enclosed therein.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved animal enclosure that can be collapsible, portable, and provides better means for accessing the interior of the enclosure which overcomes some of the above-mentioned limitations in the prior art.